Floods, landslides kill 14 in Indian-held Kashmir

Srinagar - Authorities say the worst flooding in 22 years has killed at least 14 people in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

Police officer Imtiyaz Hussain says the victims were swept away by floodwaters or buried by mud from mountain slopes since Wednesday. They included a paramilitary officer whose bunker collapsed on him.

Hussain said on Thursday that soldiers and rescue workers used boats to move thousands of people to higher ground.

At least 100 villages across the Kashmir valley were flooded by overflowing lakes and rivers, including the Jhelum river, which was up to 1.5 metres above its danger level.

Landslides are common in India during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.